Procurement Manager

Create impact. Shape procurement for the UK education sector. Grow with a Great Place to Work.

Are you an experienced public sector procurement professional looking for a role where your work truly makes a difference?

Join Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC), a growing charity-owned organisation supporting over 10,000 education institutions across the UK. We help schools, academies, colleges and universities achieve outstanding value for money, ensuring every pound spent can benefit students and their learning environments.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Procurement Manager to join our growing organisation that is a certified "Great Place to Work".

Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC) is owned and driven by the Further Education sector, and we are proud to be certified as a Great Place to Work. If you want to grow your career in a supportive, purpose-led organisation, this is the place for you.

Here you'll enjoy:

• A warm, collaborative culture where your ideas matter
• The chance to influence high-impact procurement agreements used nationally
• A supportive leadership team committed to your professional growth
• True flexibility: hybrid working, development opportunities, and a strong wellbeing focus

As Procurement Manager within our Contracting Team, you'll lead the delivery of high-quality, fully compliant procurement solutions across your category area, Place (predominantly Estates, Facilities and Construction related frameworks, DPS and Dynamic Marketplaces). This means shaping and managing a portfolio of framework agreements and dynamic markets that help our members source goods, works and services simply, compliantly and effectively under the Procurement Act 2023.

In this role, you will:

• Lead the full end-to-end procurement cycle for a range of categories
• Develop business plans, conduct market engagement and manage competitive tender processes
• Build and maintain effective relationships with members, suppliers and internal stakeholders
• Oversee the performance of frameworks and dynamic markets, driving quality and value
• Manage, mentor and support Contract Managers, Senior Procurement Officers and Procurement Officers within your category
• Ensure all processes and documentation meet public sector procurement legislation and CPC's high standards

This is a role where you'll have autonomy, influence and the opportunity to make a measurable impact across education.

We're looking for someone who brings strong expertise, commercial thinking and a collaborative mindset.

You'll be a great fit if you have:

• Significant experience in public sector procurement
• A solid understanding of UK procurement legislation-especially the Procurement Act 2023
• Broad category knowledge, particularly estates, facilities and construction and experience delivering high-performing commercial agreements
• Confidence managing stakeholders and leading a small category team
• Proven ability to deliver value, quality outcomes and continuous improvement

Qualifications:

• MCIPS (or working towards it) is highly desirable, but equivalent experience will also be considered.
• If you're a proactive procurement professional who enjoys autonomy, leading people and delivering meaningful outcomes, we'd love to hear from you.

In return for your dedication, we offer a wide range of benefits including:

• Salary of up to £50,000-£55,000 FTE per annum depending on experience.
• Generous yearly discretionary bonuses following successful probation of up to £3,500
• Flexible, agile working patterns, working 2 days at the Head Office and 3 days at home to help balance home and work life pressures, plus free parking at head office.
• Access to a local government pension scheme which includes death-in-service and ill health.
• Opportunities to develop through our inhouse development programmes and through external learning with full support given to achieve MCIPS.
• 38 days holiday (including three days additional leave for Christmas holiday closure and bank holidays).
• Time off for volunteering opportunities.
• Enhanced leave packages such as paid sickness, carers leave, bereavement and compassionate leave and maternity pay.
• Support for wellbeing with access to 8 mental health first aiders and the opportunity to join an Employee Assistance Programme.
• The chance to get involved in a number of working groups, such as Equality Diversity and Inclusion, Wellbeing and Sustainability.
• The opportunity to join our Women's, Men's and Carer's employee support networks which provide safe spaces for colleagues to share their experiences.
• Social and employee events throughout summer and at Christmas.
• Has a programme of 'giving back' to the communities in which it is based and which it supports.
• Travel expenses paid for any additional required travelling outside of your contracted place of work.

The deadline to apply is Sunday 21st December 2025

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview w/c 19 January 2026 at Crescent Purchasing Consortium's Head Office in Salford. The interview process will consist of a traditional panel-based Q&A on the specific requirements and skills for the Procurement Manager vacancy.

If you like what you've read, please don't delay in applying as we may close vacancies early where we receive lots of applications. Please click on the link below for the job description:

Please note that VISA sponsorship is not offered for this role.

We are a disability confident employer so if you need any adjustments made to support your application, for example, if you require information in different formats or if you have any accessibility issues, we're more than happy to review our processes. Please feel free to get in touch with us at .

As an equal opportunities employer, Crescent Purchasing Consortium is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership.

We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join us.